By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Elimination Chamber
February 24, 2024 in Perth, Australia at Optus Stadium
Streamed live on Peacock and pay-per-view
WWE Elimination Chamber Kickoff Show
Michael Cole and Corey Graves checked in from ringside. Cole wished Graves a happy birthday. Mike Rome handled the introductions for the Kickoff Show match. Indi Hartwell was introduced as being from Australia and received a nice ovation from the live crowd…
1. Asuka and Kairi Sane vs. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. The fans popped when the bell rang and a brief “Indi Hartwell” chant broke out while she started the match with Sane. Cole noted that they got lucky with the weather, as it was over 100 on Friday (it’s listed online as being 77 degrees.
LeRae checked and ended up being isolated. Hartwell eventually took a hot tag and picked up a two count on Asuka. LeRae tagged in and performed a springboard moonsault on Asuka for another two count. Hartwell tagged in again. LeRae took out Sane at ringside. Hartwell rolled up Asuka for a two count.
Hartwell tagged in LaRae and held her arm while she walked the top rope, but Sane tripped them up from the floor and then ran Hartwell into the ring post. Sane tagged in. Asuka held LeRae in place while Sane performed the Insane Elbow before pinning LaRae.
Asuka and Kairi Sane defeated Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae in 8:55 to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.
After the match, Hartwell helped her partner to her feet. The fans cheered and chanted Hartwell’s name…
Powell’s POV: A fine opener. The crowd was fully engaged and supportive of Hartwell. My coverage will resume with the start of the main card at the top of the hour.
WWE Elimination Chamber Main Card
Michael Cole welcomed viewers to the show and referred to Perth as the most remote big city on the planet. Footage aired of Rhea Ripley and Nia Jax arriving separately. They also showed Becky Lynch walking backstage, Bianca Belair arriving, and then had shots of Logan Paul, Kevin Owens carrying a koala bear (he is a zoo enthusiast), and Randy Orton. Corey Graves was on commentary with Cole, and Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
An Elimination Chamber video package aired… Cole narrated additional shots of the wrestlers walking backstage. At ringside, Cole wished Graves a happy 40th birthday and then Rome read through the rules of the Chamber match. Entrances for the women’s Elimination Chamber match took place.
1. Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Raquel Rodriguez in an Elimination Chamber match for a shot at the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania XL. Belair, Rodriguez, Stratton, and Morgan started in the pods, while Naomi and Lynch started the match. There were brief “Becky” chants once the bell rang. Cole and Graves spoke about how humid it was inside the stadium despite the temperature dropping compared to Friday.
Lynch went for an early Disarmer, but Naomi countered into a pin. Lynch reversed it and got a two count. Naomi dropkicked Lynch. Naomi went up top and jumped over a charging Lynch, who fired back with a dropkick of her own. Naomi pulled herself up using the wall chains and then hooked her knees around Lynch and pulled her face into the wall. Naomi dropped from the wall using a splits leg drop on Lynch. Cool spot. Lynch and Naomi returned to the ring and performed simultaneous crossbody blocks that left them both down.
The third entrant in the match was Tiffany Stratton. Cole acknowledged the “always controversial” video game ratings that were shown in graphic form for the entrants. Stratton performed some early offense on the weary Lynch and Naomi and picked up two counts on both wrestlers. Stratton stuffed a Manhandle Slam attempt by Lynch and then performed a spinebuster for another two count.
Naomi performed a crossbody block from the ropes onto Lynch and Stratton and got a double two count while the broadcast team played up the possibility of a double elimination. Lynch dropped Naomi with a punch and then hit her with a fallaway slam before Stratton took her out. Stratton hoisted up Lynch on her shoulders while Naomi went to the ropes.
Stratton swung Lynch’s legs to hit Naomi, then had both women on her shoulders briefly. Stratton put Naomi down and went to the ropes, but Lynch followed her and executed a side Russian leg sweet. Naomi performed a running splits leg drop on both women and covered them both for a two count. Cole noted that they had microphones inside the pods, which explains why Rodriguez could be heard loud and clear during the entrances.
The fourth entrant was Liv Morgan, who went right after Stratton. After dominating Stratton, Morgan worked over Lynch and Naomi. Morgan jumped from the middle rope and executed a Codebreaker on Lynch for a two count. Stratton hit Morgan with a standing double stomp. Lynch performed a Becksploder Suplex on Stratton against the steel wall.
Lynch put Stratton in a Disarmer, but Stratton slammed Lynch’s head against the wall to break it. Cole noted that Jessica Carr was the referee for the match, making her the first woman to referee a Chamber match. Naomi jumped from the top of a pod performed a neckbreaker on Morgan. Naomi clutched her back and then Stratton covered Naomi to eliminate her from the match. Stratton mockingly apologized to Naomi, who was fine when she departed the Chamber structure.
Naomi was eliminated by Tiffany Stratton in 13:30.
The fifth entrant was Raquel Rodriguez, who had a flurry of offense on her opponents. The other entrants ended up covering her, but did not get the pin.
The sixth and final entrant was Bianca Belair. Cole said a leading nine winners have come from the sixth position over the years. Belair held up Lynch for a vertical suplex and marched in place before executing the move. Stratton grabbed Belair’s ponytail, but Belair wrestled it away and then put Stratton down with a spinebuster.
Rodriguez got back to her feet and squared off with Belair. They ended up outside the ring. Rodriguez went for a suplex, but Belair pushed off the cage, bounced off the ropes in slingshot suplex position, and then executed a DDT on Rodriguez. Back in the ring, Belair had Rodriguez laid out over the top rope when Stratton shoved her aside and threw punches at Rodriguez. Morgan jumped from the top of the pod and hit Rodriguez with a seated senton.
Lynch and Stratton fought on top of the pod. Stratton stuffed a Manhandle Slam and then sent Lynch flying off the pod onto other entrants. Stratton pointed at her wrist for Tiffy Time and then performed a Swanton Bomb onto Lynch, Belair, and Rodriguez. A “holy shit” chant was followed by a “this is awesome” chant.
Stratton and Morgan fought in the ring. Stratton performed a rolling senton and went to the ropes, but Morgan cut her off and executed a DDT from the ropes and pinned Stratton. The fans booed Stratton being eliminated.
Tiffany Stratton was eliminated by Liv Morgan at 22:55.
Powell’s POV: A breakout performance for Stratton. It would have been understandable if her character had been positioned as timid and opportunistic in a Chamber match. I love that she wasn’t asked to play it that way and ended up producing a memorable performance. She’s special.
Rodriguez performed a double Tejana Bomb on Lynch and Morgan. Belair swooped in and hit the KOD on Rodriguez and then pinned her.
Raquel Rodriguez was eliminated by Bianca Belair in 25:05.
The three remaining entrants were Lynch, Belair, and Morgan. Belair threw Morgan into the chain wall. Morgan let out a guttural moan, as Graves labeled it. Lynch slammed Morgan’s head into the chains several times. Lynch executed a simultaneous Scorpion Death Drop and DDT on her opponents. Lynch went to the ropes, but Belair cut her off and slammed her to the mat. Belair mounted Lynch in the corner and threw punches at her while the fans counted along.
Morgan swopped in and powerbombed Belair. It was a rough landing for Belair, who kicked out at two when Morgan covered her. Morgan superplexed Lynch. Belair performed a 450 splash from the opposite corner, but Lynch put her knees up. All three wrestlers stayed down for a moment. Belair ducked Morgan’s step-up enzuigiri. Belair went for the KOD, but Morgan countered into a jawbreaker. Morgan hit Lynch with a Codebreaker. Lynch cleared Morgan from the ring. Belair went for the KOD, but Lynch slipped away. Morgan returned and rolled up Belair and pinned her.
Bianca Belair was eliminated by Liv Morgan in 32:10.
Lynch immediately hit Morgan with a Manhandle Slam and then pinned her.
Becky Lynch eliminated Liv Morgan at 32:15 to win the Elimination Chamber match to earn a shot at the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania XL.
Powell’s POV: A strong Chamber match. Everyone involved had big moments. There wasn’t much mystery regarding the outcome, so I like the way they had Lynch pin Morgan quickly once it was down to them. This was really fun and, again, Stratton has a breakout performance despite being the third woman eliminated.
After some ads for ad-based Peacock subscribers, entrances for the Undisputed Tag Team Title match took place. Cole said R-Truth was not at the show. He pointed to a social media spot where Truth mistakenly went to Austria rather than Australia. Funny…
2. Damian Priest and Finn Balor (w/Dominik Mysterio) vs. “New Catch Republic” Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles. Mike Rome delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. After Rome introduced the challengers, Dom ripped the microphone away from him and was booed loudly while he introduced the champions. Bate and Dunne cleared Dom from the ring and went after the champions. The referee called for the bell.
Dunne performed some early joint manipulation on Balor. Bate tagged in and went up top before leaping over his partner and performing a Swanton style move on Balor. Priest made a blind tag and dropped Bate with a punch. The crowd chanted, “Dom is a wanker.” Funny. Balor returned and put Bate in a sleeper until Bate backed into the corner to break it. Balor reapplied the hold. Bate backed into the champions’ corner to break it, but then Priest tagged into the match and worked him over.
Dom hit Bate with a cheap shot from the floor while Priest distracted the referee. Cole scolded Dom and told him that he shouldn’t even be allowed at ringside. The crowd sang about Dom being a wanker. Priest put Bate down and covered him, but Dunne broke it up. Priest threw Dunne over the top rope to the floor. Balor tagged in and posed to boos. Bate made it to his corner, but Dunne was still down. Bate knocked Priest off the apron and then hit Balor with an uppercut. Dunne returned to the corner.
Dunne took a hot tag and worked over both opponents with step-up enzuigiris. Dunne cleared both opponents from the ring and then went to the middle rope and performed a moonsault onto both men on the floor. Dunne brought Balor back inside the ring and stomped his fingers. Bate tagged in and clotheslined Balor into a German suplex from Dunne. Bate covered Balor for a two count. Balor came back with a standing stomp and then tagged in Priest, who went for a corner splash that Bate avoided. Priest quickly recovered and put Bate and Dunne down with kicks. Priest turned Bate inside out with a clothesline and got a two count.
Priest told Bate that it’s Judgment Day’s world and he doesn’t belong in it. Balor tagged in and joined Priest in performing a double team move that led to a two count. Bate performed a spinning slam on Balor. Priest ran in. Bate powered up Priest and performed a long airplane spin, which got a rise out of the crowd. Bate got to his feet and stumbled to his corner to tag in Dunne. Bate took out Priest with a dive to the floor. Dunne hit Balor with the Bitter End and had him pinned, but Dom put Balor’s under the ropes. Dom boasted on the floor that he’s smart. The referee asked Dom if he did that and then ejected him from ringside. The screen went black for a few seconds, but the audio remained.
Bate tagged in and was put down by Balor for a near fall. Balor told Priest that it was time for the Razor’s Edge when he tagged him in. Priest hoisted up Bate, who countered out of it. Priest ended up hitting Balor while he was on the ropes. Bate rolled up Priest for a near fall. Dunne tagged in and joined Bate in throwing kicks at Priest, who then grabbed both men by the throat. Priest went for a double chokeslam, but they avoided it and punched Priest. The challengers hit the Birminghammer on Priest, which led to Dunne covering him for a near fall.
Bate and Dunne double teamed Priest while Balor was down at ringside. They set up Priest for a move from the ropes, but Balor stopped them by grabbing their feet. Priest recovered and hit a double South of Heaven chokeslam on his opponents. Balor, who had tagged in, hit the Coup de Grace on Dunne and then covered him for the three count…
Damian Priest and Finn Balor defeated “New Catch Republic” Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate in 17:25 to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles.
Powell’s POV: A very good tag team match. I never bought into the idea of Dunne and Bate winning, but they had a good outing and this should earn them some credibility with fans as a tag team. As is the case with most international crowds, the Aussie fans are lively, vocal, and fun. It’s a cool atmosphere.
After some ads, Graves narrated what amounted to a tourism video for Western Australia…
Backstage shots aired of Logan Paul, Randy Orton, and Bobby Lashley warming up separately… Cole set up a Cody Rhodes video package while noting that they were taking an ad break for Peacock’s ad-tier subscribers…
Austin Theory stood in the ring, which was set up for The Waller Effect talkshow. Theory taunted the crowd by saying he had a Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse. Theory introduced Waller. Cole noted that Waller was a high school history teacher before he became a pro wrestler. Waller stopped at ringside and had a shoey with UFC fighter Tai Tuivasa. Waller played to the Aussie fans with the first “Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi” of the night.
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was introduced and made his entrance. Yes, the Trinidad flag guy superfan is in the front row. That’s dedication. The crowd continues to chant the Rollins’ entrance theme after the music stopped playing.
Cody Rhodes was introduced by Waller as the man who could thank the American education system for his inability to finish a story. Funny. Cody was dressed in a suit and stopped to sign an autograph and then slapped a lot of hands on his way to the ring. Pyro shot off in and then over the stadium once Cody struck his pose on the ropes.
Cody asked the fans what they wanted to talk about. Waller cut in and said it’s his show. Waller said he felt they should take a moment to acknowledge Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief. The fans booed. Waller asked Rollins who he wants to win the Chamber match so that he could then face at WrestleMania. Rollins said the Chamber match is stacked and he wasn’t sure.
Rollins said he had a secret. “I am just days away from being medically cleared to compete,” Rollins said. Rollins said whoever wins the Chamber match wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
Waller said they could have had the biggest match in WrestleMania history with Roman Reigns facing The Rock. The fans booed. Waller said he could tell that Australia really wanted to see that match and asked Cody is he was selfish for taking that match away from everyone. Cody said he is a fan of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Cody said if Rock were there, he’d call him names. Cody asked if there were any Cody Crybabies in attendance. The fans cheered loudly.
Cody said one thing The Rock wouldn’t want to talk about is the conversation they had that led to Cody stepping out of the WrestleMania main event. Waller mentioned The People’s Champion and said Cody does what he’s told. Cody said that maybe Rock was the People’s Champion at one time, but he thinks you actually have to be around the people.
Cody said he had an announcement of his own. Cody stood up and recalled Rock slapping him across the face. Cody said that he’s facing Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania, then added that he is wide open until then. Cody said he wanted to wrestle The Rock one-on-one and would do it any time, any place.
Rollins stood up and put his hand on Cody’s shoulder. Rollins said it was time to cut the head off the snake once and for all. Rollins said he admires Cody challenging The Rock, but the world knows that there’s no such thing as one-on-one with The Bloodline. Rollins said that if Rock accepts Cody’s challenge, he won’t be fighting him alone.
Waller boasted about getting another scoop on his talkshow, but then Theory took the mic from him. Theory asked Cody if he thought he was going to face The Rock. “It doesn’t matter what you think,” Theory said. Rollins laughed and said that was pretty good. Theory said he knew it was and he had more.
“Finally, Austin Theory has come to Perth, Australia to finish his story.” Theory said. Rollins encouraged Theory to do more. Theory removed his jacket and said, “If you smell…” Rollins threw Theory into the Waller Effect talkshow sign and then Cody hit Theory with a Cody Cutter. Rollins followed up with a Stomp on Theory. Cody’s entrance theme played to end the segment..
Powell’s POV: A basic segment made interesting due to Rollins announcing his return is imminent and Cody challenging The Rock to a match. This was carried by the star power of Rollins and Rhodes, but there was no follow-up to whatever Roman Reigns told Waller on Smackdown.
An ad aired for NXT Stand & Deliver, which will stream on Peacock on Saturday, April 6 at 11 a.m. CT/noon ET… Graves narrated another Western Australia tourism spot… An Elimination Chamber video aired… Entrances for the men’s Elimination Chamber match took place…
3. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton vs. Bobby Lashley vs. LA Knight vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul in an Elimination Chamber match for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XL. Owens, Lashley, Paul, and Orton started in the pods. Owens showed good fire before the match by banging his head on the pod glass when Paul approached him and then begged to be let out. Cole noted that Orton broke his tie with Chris Jericho by competing in his record ninth Chamber match. Graves played up the difficulty of the match by praising Orton as a sure fire Hall of Famer while adding that he’s only won one of his nine Chamber matches.
McIntyre and Knight started the match. McIntyre went for an early GTS to mock CM Punk, but Knight avoided it. Knight slammed McIntyre’s head on Paul’s pod. Graves noted that Paul was still wearing his pre-match attire while inside the pod. Knight brought McIntyre over to Owens’ pod and slammed his head off it repeatedly while Owens applauded. A “one more time” chant broke out.
The third entrant in the match was Kevin Owens, who performed a chokeslam on Knight. Cole explained that Owens rarely uses the chokeslam, but he promised a Make-A-Wish kid that he would perform the move during the match. Nice. Once Owens had both men down, he walked over to Paul’s pod and pounded on the glass. Owens and Knight teamed up for a double superplex on McIntyre, but he fought them off and performed a top rope crossbody block on both men.
The fourth entrant was Bobby Lashley, who went right after McIntyre. Lashley was dominant until McIntyre cut him off with a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre went up top and jumped over a charging Lashley, who then hit him with a spinebuster and covered him for a two count. Owens dropped Knight with a superkick and then Lashley rolled up Knight for a two count. Knight caught Lashley with another kick and covered him for a two count.
The fifth entrant was Randy Orton, who threw punches at Knight and Orton. Orton performed a powerslam on Owens. Orton went for a Draping DDT that Owens avoided, but Owens came right back and performed the move on the outside of the ring. Orton winced after performing the move, but he returned to the ring. The broadcast team pondered the possibility that Orton hurt his back while performing the move. Lashley had a run of offense and Orton stayed down on the mat and clutched his right hip and lower back. Cole said Orton was seriously hurt. Graves hoped it was just a stinger. Knight dropped McIntyre with a DDT outside the ring. Orton got back to his feet and executed a suplex on Night. Orton went back to clutching his back.
The sixth and final entrant was Logan Paul. Owens stood next to the opening. Paul tried to keep it closed, but Owens pulled it open and then entered the pod with Paul and worked him over. Owens pulled Paul out of his pod and ran him into another pod. Owens tossed Paul over the top rope and inside the ring, then clotheslined him right back over the top rope. Paul rallied and slammed Owens’ head against the steel chain wall. Paul threw uppercuts at Owens, who then blasted Paul with a big clothesline. “It’s my ring,” Owens barked.
Lashley grabbed Owens and ran him through the plexiglass of one of the pods. Lashley followed up by spearing Paul through the plexiglass of another pod. Lashley came up selling his elbow and was censored when he cussed. A “thank you, Bobby” chant broke out. McIntyre dropped Lashley with a Claymore Kick outside the ring. McIntyre clutched his back while rolling Lashley back inside the ring. Knight went for a move on Lashley, who slipped away and drilled him with his bad elbow with a strike to the back of the head. McIntyre dropped Lashley with a Claymore Kick and pinned him. The broadcast team played up Lashley’s heavily taped elbow being the cause of his downfall.
Bobby Lashley was eliminated by Drew McIntyre in 21:30.
Lashley was slow to exit the cage and was tended to by officials. Knight was getting the better of McIntyre when AJ Styles sudden ran in and battered Knight with several chair shots. Styles performed a Styles Clash on Knight on top of the chair. Cole said there was nothing that could be done because there were no disqualifications. McIntyre covered Knight and got the three count while Styles was escorted from the Chamber.
LA Knight was eliminated by Drew McIntyre in 24:20.
Owens and Paul met outside the ring and traded punches. Owens slammed Paul into the wall and then picked him up and suplexed him on top of his knee. Owens returned to the ring and performed cannonballs in the corner on McIntyre and Orton. Owens went up top and performed a Swanton on Orton and then covered him for a near fall. Owens went up top and went for a Swanton on McIntyre, who put his knees up.
McIntyre got to his feet and did a countdown before charging Owens, who popped him up and powerbombed him. Owens put Paul down with a Stunner. Orton went for an RKO on Owens, who avoided it. Owens and Orton jockeyed for position and then Orton dropped Owens with an RKO and pinned him. Orton continued to clutch his lower back.
Kevin Owens was eliminated by Randy Orton in 28:00.
The last three entrants were McIntyre, Orton, and Paul. McIntyre glared at Orton, who was clutching his lower back. Orton got to his feet. McIntyre approached him and they went face to face with Orton’s face covered by an annoying shadow in the middle of the ring. They traded punches and Orton executed a powerslam and then sold his back. Paul speared Orton through the ropes. Paul went up top, but Orton crotched him.
Orton joined Paul on the ropes and set up for a move, but McIntyre returned and hit Orton’s lower back. Orton threw punches at McIntyre, who hit him with a Glasgow Kiss. Orton went for an RKO, but McIntyre shoved him away and then performed a neckbreaker. McIntyre kipped up and then turned around and was hit by Paul, who performed a crossbody block from the top of one of the pods.
Paul reached in his tights and pulled out a pair of brass knuckles. Paul put on the brass knuckles and kissed them while Cole reminded viewers there were no disqualifications. Orton dropped Paul with an RKO out of nowhere. Orton clutched his back and then covered Paul and pinned him.
Logan Paul was eliminated by Randy Orton in 32:35.
The match came down to McIntyre and Orton. McIntyre went for a Future Shock DDT that Orton avoided. McIntyre stuffed an RKO attempt, but Orton came right back with a Draping DDT. Orton sold his back and then played to the crowd before striking the Viper’s Pose.
Orton went for the RKO, but McIntyre stuffed it and put him down with a spinebuster. McIntyre went to the corner and counted down for the Claymore Kick, but Orton collapsed before he could perform the move. McIntyre stood over Orton, who continued to sell his lower back and hip. McIntyre looked down at Orton and smiled. Orton shot up and hit an RKO out of nowhere.
Suddenly, Logan Paul dropped Orton with a brass knuckles punch. McIntyre covered Orton. Cole said “not like this” while McIntyre got the three count.
Drew McIntyre eliminated Randy Orton in 36:55 to win the Elimination Chamber match to earn a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XL.
McIntyre stood in the ring and then pyro shot off while a graphic listed him as challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. McIntyre looked into the camera and said, “We’re going to WrestleMania”…
Powell’s POV: Another top notch Chamber match with a strong finish. I suspect that the knockout punch from Paul played better on television than with the live crowd. I may have missed something while my attention bounced between the television screen and may laptop, but I didn’t realize Paul was still inside the Chamber, while obviously the fans in attendance did. Orton was sympathetic and believable in selling his injured back. Paul got great heat for punching him out. I assume this means we’ll see Paul vs. Orton for the U.S. Title at WrestleMania, though obviously Kevin Owens could factor into that given his ongoing issues with Paul.
The WrestleMania XL video aired. We are 42 days away from the two night event… Cole, who sounded hoarse, spoke about WrestleMania while a shot aired of the host stadium Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Cole noted the special start time of both nights of WrestleMania being at 6CT/7ET…
The broadcast team called it an amazing week in Perth and then Graves read through another Western Australia tourism spot…
Paul “Triple H” Levesque was introduced as his music played and he stood inside the ring. Levesque said he just wanted to come out for a second and say thank you. Levesque announced the attendance as 52,590. Pyro shot off on the stage and outside the stadium…
Nia Jax was shown lacing up her boots inside her dressing room. Ads aired for some Peacock subscribers while a video package aired on the Women’s World Championship match for others…
Nia Jax made her entrance for the main event. There was a pause and the broadcast team laid out before Rhea Ripley’s entrance theme played. Ripley made her entrance to a big ovation from her home country fans. She mouthed the words to her entrance theme as she walked down the aisle and slapped some fans. She stopped and touched a fan’s Australia flag and said, “Aussie Aussie Aussie” and then turned to show the Australian flag on the back of her jacket…
4. Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax for the Women’s World Championship. Mike Rome delivered in-ring introductions for the championship match. Cole said Ripley started training at Riot City Wrestling in Adelaide at age 15. Ripley threw an early headbutt. Ripley went for a huracanrana that Jax didn’t go down for. Jax put Ripley down and hit her with a senton splash. Cole noted that Jax was screaming at Ripley’s family. He added that Ripley had 13 family members, including her father, mother, and sister in attendance. Jax performed an early leg drop for a two count.
Ripley avoided Jax’s sit-down splash. Ripley threw punches. Jax grabbed her by the neck, but Ripley fired away with chops to her chest. Ripley went for a move from the middle of the ropes, but Jax caught her and powerbombed her twice. Jax performed a leg drop to the back of Ripley’s head and then covered her for a two count. Jax went to the middle rope, but Ripley kicked her legs out from under her. Ripley stomped Jax’s chest. Ripley went to the top rope and performed a missile dropkick. Ripley went for the cover, but Jax kicked out aggressively at two. Ripley sold lower back pain.
Ripley held Jax’s arm and hit her with two clotheslines. She went for a third, but Jax pulled her in and hit a Samoan Drop. Ripley avoided a leg drop and then ran the ropes and hit a dropkick on the seated Jax. Ripley went to the ropes and was cut off by Jax, who joined her on the ropes. Jax put Ripley on her back and performed a Samoan Drop from the second rope and then covered Ripley for a near fall. Jax went to the ropes, but Ripley slipped under her, put her on her shoulders in Electric Chair position, and dumped her face first on the top turnbuckle.
Ripley went up top and did the Eddie Guerrero shimmy before performing a frog splash that resulted in a two count. Jax rebounded and cleared Ripley to ringside. Jax threw a kick from the apron, but Ripley caught Jax’s foot and then dumped Jax face first on the apron. Jax fell to the floor. Ripley tore the top of the broadcast table off. Ripley went for a powerbomb, but Jax stuffed it and then performed a Samoan Drop onto the broadcast table. Jax climbed onto one of the broadcast team members’ chairs and dropped an elbow on Ripley, which broke the table.
Jax got Ripley back inside the ring and hit her with her Annihilator finisher. Ripley kicked out at two. Jax did the open mouth shock face. Jax went up top moments later, but Ripley shot up and superplexed her. Ripley’s family members were shown cheering her on and a “Rhea” chant broke out. Ripley threw a kick to the head of the standing Jax and then hit her with the Riptide and scored the pin.
Rhea Ripley defeated Nia Jax in 14:35 to retain the Women’s World Championship.
“There’s a reason she’s called Rhea Bloody Ripley,” Cole said while Ripley held up her title belt in the middle of the ring. Highlights aired of the ending of the match and footage aired of Ripley’s family celebrating. They went back live to Ripley’s celebration showed more shots of her family members applauding. Ripley stood on the middle rope and held up her title belt. Pyro shot off on the stage and then outside the stadium. Cole noted that Becky Lynch was waiting to face Ripley in 42 days.
Ripley went to the apron and grabbed her lower back. She dropped off the apron and clutched it again. Ripley sat on the barricade in front of her family and let out a primal scream. Ripley returned to the ring and played to the cheering crowd again. “Congratulations to the Eradicator,” Cole said. A video package recapped the event to end the show…
Powell’s POV: A good main event. It was really cool to see Ripley working in front of her family and home country fans. It looked like everyone stuck around to celebrate with her after the match was over. The Aussie crowd brought it and provided a great atmosphere for Ripley and throughout the entire show.
Overall, a strong show from start to finish. The Chamber matches delivered in a big way. The only knock on the show was that every mathc outcome felt predictable, but that’s going to happen more often than not at this time of the year given that they are setting up the WrestleMania card. I will be back this morning with my same day audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the Elimination Chamber by voting for the best match and grading the overall event below.
A note about Indi Hartwell’s ring gear – green and gold. Australia’s sporting colours.
Have you guys considered purple and gold?
I think that’s taken isn’t it? LOL!
Fantastic that WWE brought in the indigenous Welcome to Country before the main show began. Thorough respect to the indigenous Australian population. Thank you, WWE!
Am I the only one who was terribly distracted the entire men’s chamber match by the shadows from the chamber? Any time they were in the center of the ring their heads were completely black. I haven’t seen a chamber match in years but I don’t think that’s normal, seemed like a huge production oversight. Needed that spotlight somewhere else.
Mentioned it in my review once. Probably should have mentioned it more. It was definitely annoying. Very rare production flub on a WWE event.
Was very strange to see, can only assume that they just kept the exact same setup as for the womens match, where it wasn’t a problem with the sun still being up?
Yes, the sun was still shining during the opener.
Liv Morgan with wayy to many codebreakers
I too experienced the same distraction. The top shot showed the logo so i think that is what was casting the shadow.
It’s not an Australian wrestling event without a (insert name here) is a wanker chant!
We have another Mania match set – Randy Orton v Logan Paul. I’m putting money on it.
Logan now has issues with Randy, KO, LA Knight – who has his own issues with AJ. I smell a multiman ladder match.
I like it. They’ll need to have some multi-person matches to get all the stars on the show.
The women had a really good night as the Australian crowd showed them love.
If they book Indi the right way she can be a future star. I would love to see her and Rhea battle in the next Australian PLE event. They have a good story right now to play off of where Indi is chasing Rhea.
Nia actually hung around in this match longer than I thought. They’ve done a great job with booking her as a heel.
The star of the night was Tiffany Stratton, she is the future. The crowd loved her and she was the best part of the Women’s Chamber match. They have a huge future star in the making with Stratton. Women’s Chamber was really good like the Royal Rumble.
“Lashley followed up by spearing Paul through the plexiglass of another pod.” My absolute fave moment of the entire PLE. I totally marked out and loved it. Logan Paul does his work well, I legitimately despise him. Good job, heel. Mt great grandmother, who watched wrestling in the late 50s early 60s would have also hated him 🙂
R-Truth “going to Austria” is hilarious.
Great show. I was concerned with early shots of empty seats, and my own history here that our crowds can go quiet for extended periods, that we could get a disappointing atmosphere but that absolutely didn’t happen.
Not mentioned but Grayson said in the lead up he wasn’t going to do the heel ‘that’s why I left here’ type schtick and I thought they worked around it well by having theory play the heel, and take the mic, cos no way was Grayson getting the boos.
The crowd was right with Tiffy time and she delivered in the biggest of ways. WWE need fresh faces in the women’s division at the pointy end of the card. Fans want that too.
Lastly, as an Aussie, proud of Rhea, she really delivered and it takes two to tango, Nia going 15 minutes in Aussie hunidity is a good effort, and rhea kicking out of her finish was very giving.
Really good show. I’ll echo the comments on some of the really good (the indigenous welcome was brilliant) and the bad (those shadows were bonkers).
Indi might be something in the future. I’m not yet convinced, but the potential is there. Really smart way to get the crowd even more warmed up for the show with her getting the spotlight in the women’s tag match.
Stratton challenging Ripley at some point is going to draw big money and ratings. She’s the perfect antithesis to Mami and is big and physical enough for it to feel legit. It really feels like WWE stumbled into two unicorns with those two both being so good so quickly.
It’s time for the Liv Morgan experiment to end. She’s fine as part of a team, or as the plucky underdog, but she’s just not believable enough for the push she has right now.
Both chamber matches were really good, but it felt like both could have trimmed about 5-7 minutes off and still accomplished what they did.
The tag title match was indie show workrate dreck. I would pay extra money just to see little Petey Dunne not playing with peoples fingers ever again.
I really like Grayson Waller. He just has the natural feel for things that allowed him to both play to the Aussie crowd and still come across as the smarmy heel. Good overall segment with those four.
Nia isn’t good, but she is good enough now to be the monster heel that a believable opponent can beat. I was worried early on when she ripped the gauge out of Ripley’s ear, but after that she seemed to calm down and not be a danger. Rhea continues to be a generational talent that’s still improving.
Australia feels like it could be a good host for a big show every few years.
Wow, you liked a WWE show. Shocking. Wonder if you’ll show up in the next review of an AEW show and bash it? Hmm…
Why is it when TNA used to have interference and interference-based finishes in Lethal Lockdown matches everyone was critical of Jeff Jarrett’s booking and it was all LOLTNA. But when WWE has interference in the elimination chamber with AJ Styles taking out LA Knight, when he isn’t in the match, that’s ok? When Jeff Jarrett and TNA did it back in the day they got lampooned for it, but when Triple H and WWE book it into a match like the Chamber it’s great booking.
Why is this?
There’s a difference between a WarGames match and an Elimination Chamber match. I still grumble when there’s interference in WarGames style matches. Pro wrestling ruined the cage match, which was built on no one gets in and no one gets out. Companies have made the same mistake with the WarGames style matches. To be honest, I’ve grown numb to the interference in Chamber matches with the door opening after each elimination.
I dint hear it mentioned, but I guess the Rhea/Nia match was no count out? They were out of the ring forever with the table spots and the ref just stands there without counting.
Have you not been watching wrestling for years? That is done all the time, despite it being ridiculous.